Adrian Ernesto is the author of Flashes & Verses… Becoming Attractions from Unsolicited Press, Between the Spine from Picture Show Press, La Belle Ajar & We Are the Ones Possessed from CLASH Books, and Speaking con su Sombra with Alegría Publishing. 

Adrian lives with his wife and their cat Woody Gold in Los Angeles.

Tell us about the forthcoming Speaking con su Sombra.
It’s a collection of poemas written for and inspired by mi Mami who passed away in 2017. The book is about the universality of mourning. We all have experienced loss and Sombra is an invitation to those who have lost loved ones during this past year as the poems honor Mi Mami’s life, her passing, the gift of her legacy. As I remember the memoria of mi Mami, I am hoping these poemas can also honor those who have lost loved ones in their familias. 

What does it look like when you compose a first draft?
I usually write my first drafts by hand. I started putting pen and paper to my poetry over fifteen years ago and this has made the most difference to me as a poet. To write down, having your hand guide the ballpoint and seeing the ink form the images from the first draft of poems you are seeing come alive on the page is pure magic.

I write a first draft and let it percolate and sit for a few hours, days, weeks, and then I return to the pad of paper and transcribe my initial impressions I wrote down on the page, and from the paper to the computer, a poem begins evolving. It doesn’t end there. I save each draft on my PC and go back when the poem calls me back to revise.

What is revision like for you?
I love revising. Editing is where the poems take shape and come to life. Many of the poems I submit and the ones in my latest poetry collection, Speaking con su Sombra, have in most cases been revised down to the essence. I try to edit out any excess verbiage, anytime I try to be clever with phrases, and leave the carne, meat of the poem to stand in all her glory.

With Alegría, the publisher for Speaking con su Sombra, we will work on tightening a few poems, making sure there is a very engaging flow from poem to poem and even, if it calls for, edit out a poem if it doesn’t fit with our overall theme and concept of mourning, and honoring with cariño y amor.

What are you dreaming about now?  
Dreaming about the past, now that I turned 50, I have been experiencing sueños about the years I worked at a record store in New Orleans before Katrina. Those dreams are vivid. I can smell the vinyl on the walls, and it actually feels like I am there. Those years I lived in NOLA as a bachelor were legendary and because of all the fun I had at bars, partying and during Mardi Gras, I remember half my time there.

What are you reading?
Currently I am reading letters and biographies on Frida Kahlo and Dorianna Laux’s fantastic poetry books The Book of Men and Smoke. I am also loving these poetry collections: Davina Ferreira’s If Love Had a Name; Laura Serratos I, Too, Bloom; Christina Strigas’s Love & Metaxa and Dylan Krieger’s Soft-Focus Slaughterhouse.  And Monique Quintana just published the fascinating mini chapbook, My Favorite Sancho and Other Fairy Tales.

Who inspires you?
I am inspired daily by poets I know and those I admire, like those I am reading. It is a duty for any writer and poet to support other poets and writers by buying and championing their work. When I buy books from poets like Briana Muñoz and Angela Narciso Torres, their poems resonate with me, I let everyone know. I post about their books and blast these poets on my social media.

How is writing like sex?
An effective erotic love poem can seduce the reader and even spark a sense of climax by the end of the poem. Writing is like sex, to me, and there have been times I have written a poem using my mouth. While some use alphabets, I prefer to craft a poem on the most private spaces of my lovers skin. El cuerpo desnudo is the perfect shape and is a living, enticing body of poetry. I write some of my best love poems in bed while in the carnal expression of love. My wife has a collection of poems she and her body, mind, and essence have inspired hanging on the wall over us, where the magic happens. Poetry is always looking over us and inspiring us when we are together in bed. 

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I coax sexy writers like Adrian Ernesto to reveal their creative secrets and processes in interviews to inspire you:

• Purchase Speaking con Su Sombra.

• Read Adrian’s poems and find his books.

• Follow Adrian on Twitter, Insta, and Facebook.

Feeling inspired? Book a private session with me, The Sexy Grammarian. You always leave private sessions with homework and inspiration, and the first session is always free.